Girl Power

Gr 10 Up—In interviews, girls ages 7 to 14 offer their definitions of "girl power." Their views are positive, but they don't reflect deeply on how, or whether, the concept has touched their lives. The film then provides several professors' analyses of how girl power has become corrupted by the media. What began as personal empowerment devolved into a ploy to sell girls' clothing, makeup, and toys. Dora the Explorer is offered as an example of girl power gone wrong. When Viacom sold her image to various other companies, Dora's explorations ceased and she became a princess who stayed home to cook. The Dora story seems the clearest, sharpest analysis in this largely unfocused production. The film tries to analyze girls' toys and media and look at today's girls' self-esteem. That's a lot to cover in such a short film. As a result, the coverage of both topics seems superficial. If it had strictly focused on analyzing girls' toys and ads, the way Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising's Image of Women (Media Education Foundation) dissected images of women in the media so sharply, it would have been a stronger production. There are multiple interviews with girls talking about their love of princesses, but there are no thoughtful analyses about the deeper roots of girls' fantasies. The filmmaker subtly criticizes the girls for their love of feather boas and pink cowboy boots. But as the girls speak with confidence about career aspirations to become midwives and lawyers, they exude self-confidence. Killing Us Softly 4 would be a better pick for a high school women's studies course.—Jess deCourcy Hinds, Bard High School Early College Queens, NY